


Clextober 2020

by M_E_Scribbles



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: And of course! Some Raven Reyes being Raven Reyes, Bisexual Disaster Clarke Griffin, Clexa Halloween Week, Clextober 2020, Confident lexa, Day 1: Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice, Day 2: Witches & Wishes, Not gonna lie... this is gonna be posted sporadically...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:54:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27052999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_E_Scribbles/pseuds/M_E_Scribbles
Summary: A series of short stories based on some prompts from Tumblr. I'll be updating throughout the rest of the month!Day 1: Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice - My fun take on the PSL thing...Day 2: Witches & Wishes: Lexa has a secret...
Relationships: Anya/Raven Reyes, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Octavia Blake/Lincoln
Comments: 48
Kudos: 212





	1. Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice

“So anyway, I was telling Wick about how I saw that woman with the cheekbones again and he–” Raven Reyes was cut off as she was yanked toward a café. She lifted her free hand, holding the slouch beanie to her head. Her feet tangled as she struggled to follow her friend inside. “Jesus, Clarke! Slow down!”

Her friend was staring straight ahead, her eyes slightly elevated as she studied the menu closely. She hummed along with the song, her hand tapping against her thigh to the beat of the drums.

“What the fuck is happening?” Raven questioned, her voice a hiss just loud enough for Clarke to hear.

“Shut. Up.” Clarke bit out as she stepped forward with the line.

Raven’s brows drew together at that, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the back of Clarke’s head. Somehow, she knew Clarke was being serious. It rarely happened. Once she’d let go of the need to follow her mother’s demands, Clarke had definitely let her free-spirit flag fly. So in the rare moments when the old Clarke came out, the serious, no nonsense Clarke, Raven listened first and questioned later.

Knowing that answers were out of her reach for the time being, Raven pulled her phone out of her pocket and began to slowly scroll through social media. She’d take a small step forward whenever Clarke did, but otherwise remained in her own little world.

As for Clarke, her insides were floating on the wings of… bats. She wasn’t really sure where the whole ‘butterflies in your stomach’ thing came from but she was pretty sure it wasn’t right. She would have sworn on a stack of her favorite _Ms. Marvel_ comics that she was feeling bats bounce around inside her stomach.

They grew in size with every step closer to the counter. They’d started at about the size of the bumblebee bats her dad had told her about once when they were camping. Now they were roughly the size of… slightly bigger bats…

More than anything, she wanted to look normal. As if she wasn’t panicking inside her head. But Raven had retreated to the world of social media and, if the slightly frown bending her lips was any indication, Clarke was going to have a lot of explaining to do once they were alone again.

Another step closer.

Suddenly the phone in the hand of the girl in front of her blared. She checked the screen and bit out a short curse before she shot Clarke an apologetic look over her shoulder.

 _Shit_.

Suddenly, there was no one between Clarke and the counter.

“Welcome to Grounders,” the barista offered a small smile, “how may I help you today?”

Clarke opened her mouth to order but instead a high-pitched squeak escaped. The barista didn’t seem phased by it but the service dog sitting in the corner certainly perked right up.

“The usual?” The barista offered, reaching for a cup and holding up a marker.

Clarke only nodded and bit her lip. The bats had calmed slightly, like they were placated just by the conversation she wasn’t having with the woman in front of her.

“And for your girlfriend?” The barista asked, her smile dying just a little when Raven stowed her phone and stepped up to Clarke’s side.

Snorting out a laugh, Raven shook her head and bumped Clarke with her hip. “She wishes I was her girlfriend. Clarke’s been single for a little too long, you know? And me? I just scored a hot date with the woman I suspect may be the woman of my dreams.”

“So…” the barista wiggled the marker, “what does the not-girlfriend want to order?”

“Hot chocolate with whipped cream and a caramel drizzle, please,” Raven responded. She nudged Clarke again, moving her toward the waiting area for their drinks. “And what are the chances you have some of those peanut butter and chocolate rice krispie treats back there? Clarke and I cannot get enough of them!”

A quick wink was sent Clarke’s way, causing a blush to rise up her cheeks. The barista reached underneath the counter and snagged two treats. “I was hoping you’d be in today so I made sure to set these aside.”

“Thanks,” Clarke managed to squeak out. She grimaced before she cleared her throat. “I mean, that was very nice of you.”

Their interaction was over then. The barista moved on to the next customer after one last look sent Clarke’s way. And Clarke, she tried her hardest not to stare while she waited for her drink.

Minutes later, Raven burst out of the café just a step or two ahead of Clarke. She was practically dancing, giddy to have her favorite drink and her favorite treat before they reached practice.

“I know that I may regret eating this before we have to do stadium runs,” Raven said as she handed her drink to Clarke so she could open the wrapping, “but I’m okay with whatever the consequences are. These things are amazing and I’d sell your soul for one of them!”

“My soul?” Clarke repeated with a chuckle and a shove to her friend’s shoulder. “Thanks, Raven. Your loyalty is noted.”

Raven took a bite of her treat before offering Clarke a grin. She took her hot chocolate back and headed toward the university. She didn’t offer a single word in conversation as they walked, content to devour her food.

That changed as soon as the peanut buttery goodness was gone.

She rounded on Clarke just ten or so yards away from their locker room. She pulled Clarke off to the side of the walkway, her perfectly plucked brow arching highly. “Want to tell me what that was all about?”

“What?”

“You’re too smart to play that dumb, Clarke.” Raven gave a quick nod to a passing teammate. “You went all… I don’t know… junior high or something in the café. What was that about?”

“Nothing.”

For a few seconds, Raven almost argued. It was definitely something. She’d never seen Clarke act like that. Not even when they’d actually been in junior high. Only Octavia calling for them from the locker room door had her biting her tongue.

“We will be finishing this conversation later.”

Clarke groaned as she allowed Raven to drag her to practice. “Thanks for the warning.”

****

Three days later, Clarke had been successful at avoiding Raven’s questions. Her task was made easier by Raven’s need to prepare for a date with ‘Cheekbones’. Clarke helped her plan the date itself, and then helped pick out the perfect outfit that showed off what Raven considered to be her best features. Not to mention having Octavia around was a good buffer.

So, on the evening of Raven’s date, Clarke found herself alone in the apartment. Raven was out attempting to woo her woman while Octavia was at the gym with Lincoln, her boyfriend.

At first, Clarke settled in, content to waste her evening watching something on Netflix. But nothing seemed to hold her interest so she grabbed a sketchbook and started doodling.

Of course, her fingers drew the very familiar face of the barista.

Lexa.

Clarke knew that was her name. But acknowledging her name made her more real and that made Clarke nervous. Lexa made her nervous.

It took less than an hour of being alone for Clarke to decide to head out to the park with her sketchbook. She had some projects coming due soon, maybe she’d find inspiration in the changing colors of the dancing leaves.

Instead, she found herself hurrying to Grounders. She knew Lexa probably wasn’t working, she rarely worked in the evenings. Sometime around six o’clock seemed to be the latest she ever stayed. But Clarke needed somewhere warm, somewhere with people, to start her work.

Grounders was said to have been established centuries before. No one really knew the history of the place. Most people didn’t even know where it was. Clarke only knew because her parents showed her. They remembered from their time at Georgetown. It was a cozy little place, Edison bulbs hanging from the ceiling, mismatched tables and chairs were placed strategically around, a few booths lined the walls, and in the back, near a fireplace that was rumored to have once warmed the bodies of famous artists and politicians who studied at Georgetown, sat a couple of armchairs and one of the most comfortable sofas Clarke had ever sat on.

She placed a quick order, a simple black coffee and chocolate muffin, before carrying all her things to the sofa. It was a quiet evening, only a dozen or so patrons in the café, each doing their own thing. There was a bit of a bite to the breeze but nothing like what the coming months of winter would bring. Clarke knew most people were outside enjoying the weather before it inevitably turned.

“Would you like a refill?”

The sudden appearance of someone next to her had Clarke jumping to her feet. Well, not just any someone. It was the someone she’d been hoping would make an appearance.

“Lexa!”

Without waiting for a response, Clarke dove toward the floor, eager to pick up her now scattered stack of sketches.

“So you can talk at a normal pitch,” Lexa teased, setting the tall mug she’d been carrying on the coffee table before she knelt to help. “ _And_ you know my name.”

“I’ve got it,” Clarke said, her heart beating wildly in her chest as a blush rose from her neck to her cheeks. “Don’t worry about me. I’m good!”

Only when they both reached for one of the sheets of heavy paper did Clarke stop her ramblings. It had landed face down but Clarke knew exactly what was on the other side of the paper.

“Is this me?” Lexa asked, lifting the paper up high enough that she could crane her neck to see it.

“What?”

Lexa greatly tugged the paper from Clarke’s fingers. “Did you draw me?”

“I… uh…” She swallowed thickly, not sure what to say. So she went with the truth. “Yes?”

“You’re very talented, Clarke.” Lexa’s eyes danced along the lines of the sketch, taking in the changes of color and tone.

Clarke’s blush deepened. “Thank you.”

“Imagine how much easier it would have been for you to draw this if you’d asked me to sit for you.”

“What?”

Lexa bit back a laugh, only allowing a short chuckle to escape before she sobered slightly. “I hope I haven’t been reading the signals wrong, Clarke. I assumed you were coming in so often to try to work up the nerve to talk to me?”

“How did you know?” Clarke groaned, her head dropping back as she stared at the ceiling.

“Well,” Lexa said slowly. “First, you’re not really that smooth. Your interest was pretty clear. And then there’s the fact that your not girlfriend came in a day or two ago and told me I needed to hurry up and put you out of your misery because she couldn’t handle, and I quote, ‘the seventh grade-esque pining bullshit’ that was apparently occurring.”

“I’m going to kill her.”

Handing the sketch over to Clarke, Lexa only shook her head. She bit her lip and cocked her head as she took in the woman before her. “I don’t think that’s necessary. In fact, as a law student, I would even go so far as to say it’s a bad idea.”

“I swear she lives to embarrass me!” Clarke whined. She finally lifted her head, meeting Lexa’s eyes. “I was trying to not be creepy.”

“You weren’t creepy.” Lexa assured her. She motioned for Clarke to sit on the sofa again, sinking down next to her when she did. “I thought it was all very cute. And I agree with Raven, it is probably time for me to put you out of your misery.”

Clarke chewed at the inside of her cheek. She wasn’t really sure where the conversation was headed and if it was going to end up somewhere she liked.

“Is it?”

“I mean, it’s only fair.”

“Fair?”

Lexa smiled, a great big, beaming smile. She shuffled a little closer to Clarke. “You’ve come in nearly every day for five weeks, Clarke. I think you can drop the pretense now.”

“What pretense?”

“Did you think I didn’t notice how you never once took a sip of those pumpkin spice lattes?”

The blush came back full force then. “I can explain!”

“Please do,” Lexa said, the laughter in her voice was clear as day. “Raven wasn’t sure why or how the PSL became your usual drink. She swore you hate pumpkin spice.”

“I _do_!” Clarke acknowledged with a nod. “I hate it so much!”

“So why have you ordered so many of them?”

Clarke groaned as she lifted her hands to cover her face. She sank in the back of the couch and shook her head. “It was a misunderstanding!”

Lexa turned so she was pressing a shoulder into the back of the sofa. She waited a beat before reaching for one of Clarke’s wrists and tugging gently. “Don’t be so embarrassed!”

“That first day,” Clarke’s voice was muffled by her hands. When she stopped, she rubbed her face one last time before dropping them. Her eyes focused on Lexa’s fingers, wrapped gently around her wrist as she lowered her hands to her lap. “That first day, I stopped in because my friend hadn’t had time to grab a drink before heading to class. She texted me and promised to buy me a round at the bar later that day if I got her a coffee. I didn’t really think anything of it until, you know, I saw you.”

“So you ordered a drink for a friend and I assumed it was for you.” Lexa summarized with a short shrug. “That’s not terrible!”

Clarke sighed and nodded. “It’s not. Not until you consider that my friend also hates pumpkin spice lattes too. I most definitely grabbed someone else’s drink that first day. And possibly the second day too...”

“Oh no…”

“Please don’t think I’m a huge dork now or something!” Clarke exclaimed. She shifted her arm, moving until she’d caught Lexa’s hand in a gentle hold. “I swear I’m not!”

Lexa only laughed and shook her head. “What if I were to tell you huge dorks are just my type though?”

“I have every single edition of _Ms. Marvel_ in vacuum sealed pouches back at my apartment,” Clarke hurried to speak, like she needed to reassure Lexa of her dorkiness. She offered what had to be her most confident smile of the night. “Maybe you and I can get out of here, grab a bite from a pretty awesome food truck I know, and I can show you my collection?”

With a single gentle squeeze of Clarke’s hand, Lexa stood and smiled down at her. “Absolutely! But only if you’ll tell me what your actual coffee order is so I can get it right from now on.”


	2. Day 2: Witches & Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa has a secret she needs to share with her girlfriend of a year. How will Clarke take the news?

For most of her life, Lexa Woods had looked forward to Halloween. It was her favorite holiday. No other holiday came close. Never had.

It was the season when she could let her usually white knuckled grip on her control slip a little. Late September and all of October was her time to have some fun, to relax and let her freak flag fly.

Not that Lexa was a freak.

No, that wasn’t it.

For ten and a half months out of the year, she blended with mortal society perfectly. She was Lexa Woods, a lawyer at her father’s firm.

But for roughly six weeks a year, she let Lexa Woods, the witch loose.

It wasn’t that she would go flying around on broom sticks or suddenly set up a stand at a flea market to give tarot readings for ten dollars a pop. She didn’t really take advantage of anyone, didn’t seek attention from mortals. She just let herself use her gifts for more than was absolutely necessary.

Like that morning a year before, the first day of October, when she’d used a flick of her wrist to tie together the laces of an obnoxious man at a café. He’d been not so subtly attempting to flirt with a woman, someone he claimed was his best friend with his very next breath, and refused to take her gentle refusals seriously. When she’d stood up and tossed her glass of water in his face, he’d grown furious, shouting more than one expletive her way as he surged to his feet. But the woman was out the door before her could grab for her.

A flick of the wrist and Lexa made sure the woman would have plenty of time to make her get away.

If she’d grabbed the scarf the woman had left behind and hurried after her, offering her services as a fourth-degree black belt in krav maga to teach the man a lesson, no one would blame her. And if that friendly little chat led to Lexa inviting the woman to dinner that very night…

Well, Lexa Woods was letting loose. It was October after all.

But now, it’d been a year. A full year of knowing and loving Clarke Griffin with every fiber in her being. Everything was going so perfectly that Lexa almost would have sworn a love spell had been cast upon them.

It hadn’t. She’d checked.

Twice.

Somehow, without even trying, Lexa had stumbled upon the woman who was destined to be hers. Her soulmate.

And now, after a year together, Lexa had to tell her the truth about who and what she was.

****

Everything was planned down to the smallest detail. Lexa had sent a car to pick Clarke up, a simple black town car, and deliver her to the café. The small business was one of Clarke’s favorites in the city so they frequently stopped in for coffee and fresh baked goods. Lexa had rented it for the evening, insisting on paying the owner three times what she would have made had she stayed open.

Waiting just inside the door, Lexa felt her frown shift into a small smile as the town car came into view. She could practically hear Clarke lecturing her already. She was going to tell her the extravagance was unnecessary. That Lexa didn’t need to keep wooing her, she wasn’t going anywhere.

Not that Lexa would listen.

Clarke deserved to be pampered and spoiled and treated like a queen. And Lexa had made it her mission in life to do just that.

When the car pulled to a stop in front of the café, Lexa straightened her shirt, a simple forest green button down tucked into her favorite grey slacks, and opened the door and stepped outside. Nyko, the driver she’d sent, hurried to open Clarke’s door. He yelped and jumped out of the way when it swung open, almost taking him out at the knees.

“Alexandria Woods!” Clarke growled as she slid off the seat and stood. Her tone read every bit as annoyed as Lexa had been expecting but her eyes were bright and full of love. She marched up to the lawyer, stopping just inches from her, their noses practically touching. “What have you done?”

The dress Lexa had sent over was everything she had hoped it would be. A deep blue, not quite navy, and shimmery, it looked as if Clarke had been the model the dress had been made for. It clung to the right places, it draped exactly where it should. It was beautiful.

When her eyes traveled back up her girlfriend’s form, she found blue eyes narrowed at her.

“I love you?”

Clarke threw her head back and laughed. She reached for Lexa’s arm, a habit she’d formed early in their relationship, using it to keep herself steady.

“Are you asking me?” She asked after she managed to control her laughter.

“No.” Lexa smiled and leaned in, brushing her nose across Clarke’s before placing a soft kiss on her lips. “Happy anniversary, love.”

“Happy anniversary to you too. But you do know you’re in trouble, right?” Clarke questioned as she returned the kiss. She stepped around Lexa then, moving to enter the café. In a voice that was meant for her ears only she said, “We’ll talk about punishment later.”

Waiting inside the café was the owner. She had their usual bakery orders ready to go for them, and a special meal Lexa had delivered from Clarke’s favorite Italian place a few blocks away.

“Enjoy,” the woman offered with a grin. She met Lexa’s eye. “Make sure you lock up before you leave?”

“Of course,” Lexa replied, holding up the spare key she’d been entrusted with, “and thank you for all your help.”

And then they were alone.

Lexa placed her hand on the small of Clarke’s back, ushering her toward their favorite table. It was nestled in a corner, a bookshelf jutted out a little, creating an air of privacy there. Their meal was waiting for them.

“I thought we could save the coffee and cupcakes for later. Ingrid, the owner I mean, she showed me how to make our drinks,” Lexa explained as she pulled out Clarke’s chair. Once she was settled, Lexa bent to press a kiss to the top of her head. “If that works for you?”

“It does,” Clarke replied. Her eyes were on the plate in front of her. A simple five cheese pasta with some stuffed tomatoes and Sardinian flatbreads were just waiting to be devoured. “This looks amazing, Lex. Thank you!”

Lexa settled in her own chair, smiling across the table. “Well, dig in, love. I’ve got more planned for us tonight!”

****

A couple of hours later, after Clarke had insisted they clean their dishes and straighten the café before leaving, the couple made their way to a nearby park. In a few months’ time, there would be an ice-skating rink set up for the locals to enjoy. For now, the paths were covered with the colored leaves of autumn and the moon was shining brightly overhead.

“I love this park,” Clarke sighed. Her arm was looped through Lexa's, their hands tucked into the pocket of Lexa’s jacket. She squeezed gently as she added, “It reminds me of you. Beautiful but doesn’t know it.”

“The park doesn’t know it’s beautiful?” Lexa teased as they meandered along the path toward the huge boulder they liked to sit on. It was on the edge of the massive lake; Lexa was eager to get there because she knew the moonlight would be dancing on the water. That always made nights seem more magical. Even to mortals. “That’s just silly.”

The bantering went back and forth as they walked. They passed a few other couples, exchanging head bobs and hellos as they went on their way. Lexa kept tugging Clarke onward, both ready for and dreading the next part of the night.

Nyko had set up a small blanket for them on the boulder. Several blankets actually. And a thermos of what Lexa knew would be his famous hot chocolate.

“You really pulled out all the stops tonight, huh?” Clarke teased. She bumped her hip against Lexa’s as they approached the boulder.

“Nothing but the best for my love,” Lexa replied smoothly, offering a hand to help Clarke climb up.

Once they were settled, Lexa leaning back against part of the boulder with Clarke settled between her legs and lying back against her, Lexa sighed.

Clarke turned her head and smiled. “Happy?”

“Jubilant,” Lexa replied, bending down awkwardly for a kiss. “You have made me a very happy woman, Clarke. I do hope you know that.”

“Well,” Clarke shimmied her shoulders and grinned up at her. “I only give as good as I get, babe.”

They sat in silence for a while. Lexa had a whole speech planned out and she was practicing it in her head. She rested her chin on Clarke’s shoulder as the blonde lifted her hand and toyed with her fingers.

“So…” Lexa said slowly, having finally decided to dive into the conversation. She cleared her throat and heaved a sigh. “I have something I’d like to talk to you about, Clarke.”

“Is this one of those serious conversations we’ve ‘put a pin’ for a while?”

Shaking her head, Lexa shifted a little so she could meet Clarke’s eye. “No. Not really. It’s just something about me that I need you to know. To be honest, I should have told you months ago. It’s just that you really have made me happier than I’ve ever been. And I don’t want to lose you over all of this. I mean, it’s not like it’s something I can just, you know, get rid of or something. It’s a part of–”

“Lex,” Clarke cut her off, pressing her finger to Lexa’s lips. She smiled up at her and shook her head. “Babe. You know I love it when you get all flustered and ramble on like that but I have a feeling there’s a point to what you want to say tonight.”

“There is.”

“So take a deep breath and rip the band aid off.”

She made it sound so easy. Just spit the words out. They can deal with the aftermath together.

So that was exactly what she did.

“I’m a witch.”

There was a beat of silence followed by Clarke laughter.

“I’m serious, Clarke!” Lexa insisted, her brows drawing together.

“I know.”

“Stop laughing! This is serious! We aren’t supposed to reveal ourselves to mortals unless we’re absolutely sure they’ll–”

Clarke shifted quickly so she was settled on her knees facing Lexa. She cupped her face in her hands and repeated, “I know.”

“You know?”

“I do.”

“How?”

Rolling her eyes, Clarke started to list the things she’d noticed. “You never actually reach to turn your alarm off, Lex. You flick your hand out and it shuts off. That’s why you have to have a million alarms. And the number of times we’ve been in the shower and the water has grown too cold because we’re distracted and then the water is suddenly nice and hot again? Or how about the fact that I know your blood is black as a moonless night? And that you heal faster than should be possible?”

“You noticed all that?”

“I’m a heavy sleeper but I’m also a doctor, babe. I notice everything.” Clarke leaned in, pressing her lips to Lexa’s. “You’re not that subtle.”

“And you’re…” Lexa’s head tilted to the side like she was a confused puppy, “You’re not angry I didn’t tell you before?”

Clarke shrugged and turned to settle into her previous position. “Not really. I mean, I’m sure you had your reasons to wait this long.”

“I did.”

Chuckling, Clarke tipped her head back on Lexa’s shoulder so their eyes could meet again. “Good. I did too.”

“Right.” Lexa smiled and leaned in for a kiss. That had gone much better than she’d hoped. She’d been expecting questions and maybe some yelling and – “Wait a second. You did what now?”

“You really haven’t figured it out?”

Lexa’s brows drew together as she pulled away, her eyes studying Clarke closely. “Figured what out?”

“My father always did say you Woods witches weren’t always the most observant about the rest of us,” Clarke teased. She rolled her eyes and lifted a hand to snap her fingers. A blue light glimmered from them. “Babe, I’m a witch too.”


	3. Day 3: Sweater Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke has had kind of a rough day. One of those days where she's holding herself together with duct tape and prayers to a deity she doesn't really believe in. Then she arrives home to Lexa and Jacob. And, like some unknown hand is guiding her, Lexa makes exactly the right decision at exactly the right time.
> 
> A one-shot from my upcoming story ‘Since You Came Along’.

Bone deep exhaustion wasn’t something Clarke felt most days. Even with a four-year-old little boy running circles around her from dawn to dusk (and usually beyond…) and an art gallery that was slowly gaining a foothold in the world of celebrity and renown, she normally had a little reserve of energy at the end of her day.

Not that October evening though.

No.

She felt as if ever single action was taking twice as much energy they usual did. She checked her watch again, eager to see the hand progress since she’d last looked, then barely managed to bite back grumbles of discontentment when they’d barely moved.

Thinking through her options, she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against the pole she was holding onto. If she pushed herself a bit, ran a block or so when the train finally came to a stop, she’d make it home with an hour or so before Jacob’s bedtime.

For just a second, she allowed herself a little smile, she thought of her neat little apartment in Soho. A year before, it was a dream, something to think about when her husband started on one of his rants. A place for herself and Jacob. For all her dreams and plans and schemes, for every whispered talk with Raven, Clarke had been certain it would never actually happen.

And now, even through her exhaustion, she could smile to herself at the thought of having just such a place.

Part of that smile was for the other person she knew was waiting for her at home. When she’d told her girlfriend about the meeting she had up in Harlem, part of a new project she was working on, Lexa had automatically assumed that meant it was going to be her day to pick up Jacob from daycare and watch him for the evening. Her excitement at the flow of ideas about what they could spend their time doing stopped Clarke from correcting her thinking. A simple text to Raven letting her know she was off the hook was all it took.

As she thought back on that afternoon the week before, Clarke was pulled back to reality by the train rattling to a stop. She took a deep breath and allowed herself one last moment to feel the absolute tiredness in her bones. As she released the air slowly, she rolled her neck from side to side, trying to urge the tension away.

It didn’t work, of course, but she had to try.

The doors opened with a hiss, allowing Clarke to follow the flow of bodies onto the platform. She lifted a shoulder and ducked her head in a futile bid to ward off the obviously drunk man who was grinning at her as he approached. Then, with moves only the mother of a small child could manage, she side-stepped the little girl who suddenly stopped right in front of her.

Her eyes sought out the stairs, a mere fifteen or so feet away, and she gritted her teeth. They were so close but with every maneuver she had to execute to dodge the people on the platform, every inch felt like a mile. The half a minute it took her to reach the first step felt like hours.

By the time she was above ground, she could feel her eyes burning. Clarke tried to tell herself it was from the unseasonably cold breeze smacking her in the face but she knew it was either from the stress of being on the go all day or the tiredness that saturated her very being to the core.

Lifting her messenger bag, she secured it to her chest with an arm as she started to jog toward home. She stayed close to the street, hoping that would leave her path a little clearer.

With every duck and dodge she could feel anger starting to build.

That anger was battling with tiredness.

Couldn’t those people see she was in a hurry?

She pushed herself onward until finally, _finally,_ she was in front of her building.

With a single nod and as much of a smile as she could muster, Clarke greeted the doorman.

“Ms. Griffin,” he said with his typical lopsided grin as he opened the door for her.

“Hey, Andy.”

Hurrying to the elevator, Clarke tapped out a rhythm of impatience on her thigh until the doors finally opened with a ding. Once inside, she pressed the button for her floor, holding herself upright until the doors slid closed. Only then did she allow herself to sag against the wall with a sigh she was sure came from her soul.

It took her a much longer internal lecture, and hitting the ‘open door’ button several times, before she could bring herself to actually leave the elevator. Only the thought of being home and wrapped up in her favorite fuzzy blanket on the couch with Lexa next to her and Jacob chattering away about something he’d learned that day had her feeling motivated enough to actually get moving.

The door opened before she could even slide the key in, Jacob was standing in front of her. The smile on his face was typical after an afternoon with Lexa. It stretched across his little face, from ear-to-ear was an apt description, and lit up his blue eyes.

“Hi, Mommy! Yexa let me stand on the ladder and look through the peeper while I waited for you!” He chirped up at her as he threw his arms around her thighs. He nuzzled into the soft fabric of her sweater that was hanging below the hem of her jacket. “She was behind me the whole time though! She only left once I got down!”

“Hello, Jacob,” Clarke said. She bent to press a kiss to the top of his head. “Were you good for Lex?”

From behind the boy, the woman in question spoke. “Alec is always good for me, love. What a silly question.”

Taking a second to press another kiss to her son’s head, Clarke forced herself to straighten. She smiled at her girlfriend and rolled her eyes. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

“You calling me a liar, Griffin?” Lexa asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“I would never!” Clarke teased back.

Shuffling forward, thanks to Jacob’s ever tightening grip on her legs, Clarke managed to shut the door and turn the locks. She tossed her bag on the small table next to the door and immediately started undoing the buttons on her jacket.

Surely she could get through the rest of the evening without passing out on her feet.

As she turned to hang her jacket on the coat rack, she felt Lexa’s arms slide around her waist, pulling her close. Clarke smiled softly at the feeling of her girlfriend’s nose nuzzling neck.

“Miss me?” She asked, lifting a hand to bury in Lexa’s thick hair. Her fingers scratched at her scalp, knowing how much Lexa loved it.

“Always,” Lexa replied, just like she always did.

Clarke sighed then, content to just remain in the embrace of her son and girlfriend.

But then Lexa straightened. Green eyes searched her face and Clarke knew there was no use in trying to hide anything. Lexa would see it all.

“Alec,” Lexa said softly, her hand falling to rub the boy’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go and get ready for bed? Pajamas and brush your teeth.”

“Aw,” Jacob whined, tipping his head all the way back to stare up at the adults. “But Mommy just got home, Yexa!”

Lexa’s eyes held Clarke’s for just another second or two before she looked down at the boy. She winked and jerked her head toward his room. “I know. But if you go and get ready now, I’m sure we can convince Mommy to let you stay up a little late tonight to get some cuddle time in. How does that sound?”

“Yeah?” Jacob chirped eagerly as she squeezed Clarke’s legs again.

“Of course!” Clarke said as cheerfully as she could manage. She looked down to meet her son’s eyes. “I missed all the cuddles earlier, right? So I need to make up some time now!”

With a shriek of giddiness, Jacob turned and sprinted to his room. Or tried to anyway. He missed the corner and slid into the wall, rattling the pictures above his head a little.

“I’m okay!” He shouted as he scurried into his room.

Clarke chuckled and shook her head. Then she turned back to meet Lexa’s eye. She bit her lips at the expression she read there.

“Lex,” She said with a sigh.

“How about you go and take a nice long shower? I’ll lay out some clothes for you and keep Alec distracted.”

Clarke shook her head. “No. Babe, I’m fine. All good. I just need to get changed into something more comfy. Then we can all cuddle up on the couch.”

Lifting her hands, Lexa cupped Clarke’s face gently. “Love, please just take a little time for you. It’s okay to do that, you know? In fact, I insist.”

“Lex-”

“I’m going to FaceTime Raven if you keep refusing,” Lexa threatened. Her tone was smooth as silk but hard as steel. There would be no negotiating.

“Fine,” Clarke finally agreed.

She shuffled closer, wanting a quick kiss and maybe a tight hug before she headed to her bathroom. And, like always, it was like Lexa could read her mind. She looped her arms around Clarke’s hips and caught her lips in a kiss that had Clarke wrapping her arms around Lexa’s neck and sighing when they separated. Then she buried her face in the crook of Lexa’s neck and breathed her in. She burrowed deeper when Lexa’s arms tightened around her.

“Okay, love,” Lexa said after a long moment of silence. She rubbed Clarke’s back gently as she leaned back. “To the shower with you. I’ll keep the kid busy. Take your time.”

****

As much as she told herself she wasn’t going to, Clarke did take her time. She languished under the hot water, though it did nothing to rid her of the tiredness. Part of her felt as if she was washing at least the stress away.

Still, she’d set a timer for twenty-five minutes before stepping under the water and when the dinging sounded throughout the steam-filled room she immediately shut off the water. She grabbed one of the soft bath sheets Lexa had insisted on buying for her from the hook next to the shower, wrapping it tightly around her chest.

Quickly, she used one of the face moisturizers Lexa had left at her place before she pulled her hair up into a messy bun. Taking her time, she rubbed her favorite hibiscus and watermelon lotion into her skin, humming contentedly the whole time.

Then she exited the bathroom as she called out, “You two better be ready to give me my cuddles! I’ll be out in a minute!”

“Mommy!” Jacob’s shout drifted under the door. “Hurry up!”

Clarke smiled as she turned to her bed.

And then her smile faltered.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d stood there but she was startled when Lexa appeared next to her.

“Are you okay?” Lexa asked, her hand came to rest on the small of her back.

Clarke licked her lips and sniffled as she stared down at her bed.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Lexa questioned. She lifted her free hand to cup Clarke’s face. Her thumb moved back and forth across her cheekbone. “Are you just that tired?”

“Where…” Clarke’s voice cracked when she tried to speak. She cleared her throat and bit the inside of her cheek before she tried again. “Where’d you find that?”

Lexa followed the finger she was pointing at the bed. Her brows drew together when she realized she was talking about the flannel shirt resting on top of the comforter.

“The shirt?”

“Yeah.”

Lexa shifted until she was sitting on the bed in front of Clarke. Her hands moved to rest on Clarke’s hips. Tipping her head back just enough to meet watery blue eyes, Lexa answered her question. “It was in the back of your closet. I figured you would want something cozy to put on. Did I… was I wrong?”

Clarke shook her head. Her hands shifted from their position holding the towel closed to cup Lexa’s neck. She leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to plump lips.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Clarke said.

Without another word, she reached around Lexa to grab her underwear, dropping the towel so she could get dressed. The sweatpants she’d stolen from Raven while they were in high school followed. And then a tank top.

Lexa watched her every movement, still trying to figure out why Clarke had pools of tears in her eyes. But she didn’t question. It seemed like maybe pushing wasn’t a good idea at the moment.

Once Clarke was dressed, she slowly reached for the flannel shirt. She held the shoulders, clasped it tightly as she brought it up to her nose, and pulled in a deep breath. With a watery laugh, she bent to kiss Lexa again.

“I don’t understand what is happening right now,” Lexa admitted against Clarke’s lips.

Sliding on the shirt, Clarke took a moment to do up the buttons and roll the sleeves. She turned her head, burying her nose into the fabric again.

“Clarke?”

For the first time that evening, Clarke smiled at her girlfriend without a trace of tiredness on her face. She reached for Lexa’s hands, tugging her to her feet. Once she was standing and wrapping her arms around Clarke, an explanation was offered.

“This was my dad’s shirt.”

Lexa’s eyes widened comically. She dropped her eyes to the shirt and fought the urge to grimace.

Of course it was Jake Griffin’s shirt. It was way too big to be Clarke’s and there was no way Clarke would have held onto a shirt that was Finn’s.

“I’m so sorry, Clarke! I just thought it looked-”

“It's fine, Lex,” Clarke interrupted her. She smiled up at her. “Really. I’d forgotten I even had some of his shirts.”

Lexa was shaking her head. “I can grab one of your hoodies for you or something.”

“I used to wrap Jacob in these shirts when he was a baby. On those nights I couldn’t get him to calm down and I could see Finn was getting mad,” Clarke said softly. She tilted her head, rubbing her check against the shoulder of the shirt. “Every single time they soothed Jacob enough that he’d just pass out. Like a magic spell, Lex, I swear. I liked to think it was because he could smell Dad in the fabric and, I don’t know, feel Dad around us. My dad, he was like the human embodiment of a security blanket.”

“I know you miss him,” Lexa offered when Clarke let silence settle. “But still, I should have realized it was his.”

A quiet laugh escaped Clarke. She ran her thumbs over Lexa’s jaw before drawing her down for a kiss. When she pulled back, she pressed her forehead to Lexa’s gently.

“Lex,” She said, her voice almost too quiet to hear, “My dad was one of my favorite people. I know I’ve said this before but he would have absolutely loved you. He just had a way of making you feel safe and… I don’t know, like, wanted. I never felt like I was a burden around him. You know?”

“I’m sorry I never got to meet him.”

Clarke nodded. It was something she’d thought about before, how much she’d have loved to introduce Lexa to her father, how much he’d have enjoyed teasing the usually stoic woman.

“He really was a human security blanket, Lex. I can only think of one place I’ve ever felt safer than I felt when my dad would hug me.”

“Yeah?” Lexa questioned.

Nodding, Clarke pulled back and smiled softly. “Yeah. In your arms, Lex. When you hold me I know nothing bad is ever going to happen to me again.”

“Clarke,” Lexa breathed, shocked at the comparison she’d just made.

“It’s only fitting that you picked this shirt tonight, Lex,” Clarke continued. She pulled her into a tight hug. “I really needed a hug from Dad tonight and you’ve kind of made that happen without even realizing it.”


	4. Day 4: That Shit is HAUNTED

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa have a bit of a vacation after Clarke's final friendly of October. They head out to a cabin just outside of New Orleans for a romantic getaway. But... not everything is as it seems!
> 
> (You Started Something AU one-shot)

It had been a long and slow build but by the time Clarke Griffin was the star of the NWSL, and the face of the Matildas, women’s soccer had finally secured a place on the national stage in the United States. Not that the popularity of the sport, whether men’s or women’s, surpassed any of the staples, but they were a definite audience. Which meant advertisers and team sponsors galore. In less than ten years, the league had grown from just eight teams to nearly twenty.

That was how Clarke found herself on a brand new pitch in New Orleans that October afternoon. She and the Matildas were playing the first match ever in the New Orleans NOLAs’ new stadium against the USWNT.

As warm ups were gone through, Clarke took every single opportunity to steal a glance at the sidelines. A small smile would creep onto her face as soon as she locked eyes with Lexa, her girlfriend.

“Get your head in,” snapped one of her teammates. Clarke wasn’t paying enough attention to put a name with the voice.

Still, she knew she needed to focus. So, after shooting one last look Lexa’s way, she allowed herself a moment to take a few grounding breaths. She closed her eyes, forced her mind to push aside anything that wasn’t their game plan, and stretched her neck from one side to the other.

When her eyes opened again, they were laser focused.

****

The match itself was as closely contested as ever. The score line had remained at zero all until the seventy third minute. That was when a typically clever bit of footwork from Tobin Heath had managed to distract one defender too many and Christen Press found herself a little too open in front of the eighteen yard box. The diving attempt at the ball was nowhere even close.

Thankfully, Clarke could do more than a little bit of fancy footwork of her own. Just over ten minutes after Press had scored, after dancing her way from the sidelines to the inside the eighteen, she managed one last nutmeg to free herself from that last defender. Glancing up, just for a fraction of a second, she took in the goal, and smiling, she looked back to the ball and sent it soaring into the far corner of the goal.

The sliding tackle that came in from behind her, taking out her planted right leg, took her by complete surprise. The awarded penalty kick did not.

A penalty kick she totally sent into goal untouched.

With a little more than five minutes, plus stoppage time, Clarke and her team were sitting pretty. Of course, they were still playing the number one team in the world so they couldn’t allow themselves to coast just yet.

They played every remaining second like they were down by one instead of up by one. They pursued every pass, made every tackle they could. When they won the back, they’d seek the corner and try to waste as many ticks of the clock as they could.

Finally, as Clarke was leaning back against Press and O’Hara, trying to keep them from the ball, the final whistle blew. With a whooping sort of yell, Clarke whirled around and offered her hand to each of the women in turn. She gestured toward her collar and arched a brow at O’Hara. After receiving a single nod in return, Clarke pulled her jersey off and offered it to the defender, happily taking the American’s jersey in return.

“Cheers,” Clarke said with a grin. “And a well played match!”

“Yeah, yeah,” O’Hara replied with a frown. “I’ll get you next time, Griffin.”

****

An hour and a half later, Clarke was exiting the locker room. She had her bag slung over her shoulder and her headphones over her ears. Bobbing her head to the beat, she pulled her phone from the side pocket of her bag. Just as she pulled up the text message screen, two hands grabbed her waist and squeezed gently.

“Crikey!” She exclaimed, turning even as she jumped.

Before her, bent at the waist with her hands on her knees, was Lexa. Even with the noise-cancelling features on her headphones activated, Clarke knew she was laughing. With an eye roll, she tugged the head phones down to rest around her neck.

“- can’t believe you actually said it! You swore you never said that!” Lexa was speaking through her laughs. Her head was shaking from side-to-side. And honestly, Clarke was pretty sure she was about to start slapping at her knee. “That was my favorite thing ever!”

“Quite done yet?” Clarke asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Oh,” Lexa breathed out as she straightened to her full height. She wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands as she sniffled and tried to bite back her laughs. When she seemed to have a little control over herself, she pulled in a deep breath and smiled up at Clarke. “Hello, love! That was a great game! I mean… match. Great match. Well done!”

Narrowing her eyes, Clarke watched her shoulders shake for a few seconds before she responded. “Thank you.”

“Don’t pout!” Lexa swatted at her stomach with the back of her hand. She stepped forward then, grasping the sides of Clarke’s green Australia jacket. Tipping her head back, she offered another smile, this one much less mocking than the others had been. “It was a good match. You were so amazing out there! The… dancing stuff you manage with the ball is always so much fun to watch!”

“Dancing?” Clarke repeated with a sniff, looking down her nose. “Really, Lex?”

With a quiet chuckle, Lexa lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “You know what I mean. I know what I mean. I think it’s a good way to phrase it.”

“It’s called…” Clarke started to explain for the thousandth time. Then, at the shining gleam in Lexa’s eyes, she realized she was being teased. “You should be nice to me.”

“Should I?”

“Mmhmm,” Clarke confirmed with a nod. She bent her head slightly, letting her mouth come within just an inch or two of Lexa’s. “You see. I have a very romantic weekend planned for us. And if you’re not being nice to me, I would imagine it won’t be quite as much fun.”

That grin Lexa had been sporting melted into a smile she reserved for Clarke. She lifted her hands until they were resting on Clarke’s shoulders, her fingers rubbing at the back of her neck. “The cabin you mentioned? You managed to get a reservation?”

“I did.”

Shifting to her tiptoes, Lexa pressed her lips to Clarke’s. Her arms looped around her neck, helping her to stay pressed up against her girlfriend. She smiled into the kiss when she felt two strong arms wrap around her hips, taking some of the struggle off her feet.

“Happy anniversary. I really do love you, Lex,” Clarke whispered when they separated. “Now let’s get a move on. I need to clear things with Coach before we can head out.”

Lexa stepped back and reached for Clarke’s hand. She smiled when their fingers laced together, seemingly on their own. They strolled toward the exit, where the bus was waiting for Clarke.

“I’ll see you at the hotel?” Clarke asked before she boarded, ignoring the catcalls from her teammates.

Lexa nodded, tipping her head back in a way that had become her signal for desiring a kiss. She smiled when Clarke obliged right away. “Happy anniversary, I’ll see you soon!”

****

It was another couple of hours before they were in the car Clarke had rented for the rest of their trip to the Big Easy. It was a Jeep, big and outfitted with mud tires and huge lights on top of the cab.

“Hey Clarke?” Lexa spoke up after they’d been on the road for a little while.

“Yeah?” Clarke replied, her hand that was resting on Lexa’s thigh, squeezed a little.

Smirking, Lexa laced her fingers with Clarke’s as she turned slightly in her seat. “Would you say this cabin is in the bush?”

“In the…” Clarke’s brows drew together. She risked taking her eyes off the road for a second to shoot a look at her girlfriend. “I’m not sure America has a ‘bush’, love.”

“So it’s out in woop woop?” Lexa countered right away.

That had Clarke laughing loudly. She shot a quick beaming smile to her right. “Have you been looking up slang again?”

“Defo!” Lexa said with an ever growing smile.

“C’mon then,” Clarke encouraged her. She lifted their joined hands up to press a kiss to the back of Lexa’s. “Give us a show, love. What have you learned?”

Lexa wiggled in her seat, she cleared her throat and adopted her best impression of Clarke’s accent. “We ought to stop by the bottle-o and make sure we’re ready for our trip out to the bush. Maybe they’ll have some lollies there too! And we defo need to swing through Maccas because I am starving.”

Clarke’s laughter echoed through the small cabin of the Jeep. “Lexa…”

“I made sure to pack your flannos, love. And those knickers of mine I know you love so much.” Lexa continued as if Clarke wasn’t nearly hyperventilating in the seat next to her. Her accent grew thicker and somehow slightly Scottish as she spoke. “I hope you remembered the spray because I’m sure there are bound to be bloody heaps of mozzies out there!”

There was a slight pause then, like she’d run out of all the Australian slang she’d tried to learn.

Once she’d caught her breath, Clarke glanced her way again. “Anything else?”

“Yeah,” Lexa replied with a nod. “I hope you’re not too stuffed from your match. I have a lot of plans for you tonight.”

****

The cabin was… not at all what Clarke had been expecting. The picture on the website made the place look homey and inviting. Clarke should know. She was staring at the screen, then glancing at the building before her.

“It’s not…” Lexa’s head tilted to the side as she took it in, “that bad?”

“It’s leaning!” Clarke exclaimed. “This isn’t what I wanted!”

Lexa shook her head, grabbing Clarke’s elbow and tugging her up the walk. “It’s fine. Maybe the inside is better. Like a diamond in the rough type thing!”

It wasn’t.

The inside was just as dingy as the outside. The only real plus was the lack of dust. And everything that could be shined up to a gleam seemed to have been polished recently.

“It’ll be fine,” Lexa said confidently.

“We can go back to the city and get a hotel room. Celebrate our anniversary the right way,” Clarke offered. She stared all around her, not at all impressed with what she was seeing. 

Already shaking her head, Lexa stepped further into the cabin. “It took us hours to get out here, Clarke. I just want to cuddle up to you for the night. We can go back to the city tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” Clarke leaned into the building, scrunching her nose as she took in more of the kitschy design. “I don’t mind driving us back if you’re tired.”

“Clarke,” Lexa whined. “We can make this work for one night!”

Finally stepping inside, Clarke shut the door behind her. Then, she reached back and flipped the lock too. Being that she was an inch or two over six foot and in what most people considered to be ridiculously good shape, there weren’t many situations where Clarke didn’t feel physically safe. She rarely thought to lock doors behind her.

“Lex…”

“Come on,” Lexa reached for her hand, pulling her closer with a smirk. “I’m sure we can find something to do that will distract you for a while. Maybe even tire you out.”

“You think so?” Clarke asked. 

She followed as Lexa led the way through the small cabin toward the two doors opposite the front door. Lexa opened the first, revealing a decent sized bathroom with a claw foot tub and two sinks. The second was the bedroom with what looked to be the king sized bed the website had promised.

“I’m still a little high on adrenaline, love,” Clarke warned with a teasing tone. “It may take a while to wear me down.”

Throwing a smirk over her shoulder, Lexa pulled her shirt over her head, revealing a lacy green bra that left little to Clarke’s imagination. “Promises, promises.”

****

It was late when Clarke woke with a start. She wasn’t sure what woke her, but as soon as she was half awake, she knew she felt like she was being watched.

Glancing around, she didn’t see anything that looked out of place. The room was barely decorated, just a bed and a small chest of drawers were inside it. No photos or paintings or anything like that were on the walls, and much to Clarke’s surprise, there were no creepy dolls to be seen either.

Still.

She couldn’t shake the feeling.

A quick glance down to her chest, Lexa’s usual spot when they were sleeping, told her Lexa hadn’t woken up. For a moment, Clarke considered just going back to sleep. Then she heard a rattling type sound from the front room.

Completely awake, she slid out from underneath Lexa. She slid a pillow in her place, knowing her girlfriend would wake if she wasn’t cuddling something. Then she grabbed her jeans and tank top from where Lexa had folded and placed them on the chest after their shower earlier. She pulled them on as quietly as she could. 

Once she was decently covered, Clarke reached for the doorknob. After one last glance back at Lexa’s sleeping form, Clarke opened the door just wide enough for her to squeeze through, turning as she did so, and gently closed the door behind her. Once she was sure the latch was in place, Clarke released the knob and turned to study the front room.

The room wasn’t very big, maybe six or so meters by six or so meters but it was the kitchen, dining room, and living room all in one. Off to the left, there was a ladder leaning up against what seemed to be a loft of some sort. The curtains on all the windows had been pulled closed, not allowing the dim flickering light from above the sink outside.

What had Clarke’s complete attention though were the cabinets in the small kitchen. There were eight total, four on the floor and four mounted to the wall.

And every single one of them was wide open.

Taking a deep breath, Clarke tiptoed her way across the space. She glanced around the counters and cabinets, looking for a sign of what could have happened. When she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, she closed each cabinet one at a time. She tugged on the handles to make sure the latches had been engaged.

Once she was satisfied with the cabinets, she double checked the locks on the door and the windows. Everything seemed secure. She allowed herself one final turn in place just outside the bedroom door before she retreated back to bed.

Lexa barely woke up when she pulled the pillow away from her grasp. She rubbed her eye with the heel of her palm and leaned up on one elbow to give Clarke room to get comfortable again.

“Where’d you go?” She whispered as soon as her head was tucked into the crook of Clarke’s neck again.

Rubbing Lexa’s back with one hand while the other reached for her hand, Clarke shook her head. “Just needed the loo, love. No worries.”

Giggling, Lexa pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. “At least it isn’t a dunny!”

Laughter erupted from both women as they lounged on the bed, wrapped up in each other. Clarke’s head was shaking, Lexa was burrowing further into her shoulder.

It was exactly where Clarke wanted to be.

Then, seemingly from just outside the bedroom door, there was a great thud. Like a book had been thrown against the wall.

“What was that?” Lexa gasped as she sat up, clutching the blankets to her naked chest.

Clarke was already up and back into her jeans before Lexa took her eyes off the door. “Stay here.”

“Don’t go out there!” Lexa hissed as Clarke approached the door.

Turning back, Clarke leaned over the bed to press a solid kiss to Lexa’s lips. She kissed her forehead next. “It’s fine, love. I’m sure I just bumped something when I was out there. This whole house is leaning, I’m sure gravity finished the job my clumsiness started.”

“Clarke!” Lexa hissed. She didn’t want to be left alone.

“I’ll be right back,” Clarke assured her.

With one last deep breath, she pulled the door open quickly. She practically jumped out of the room, making sure the door closed behind her. Just like the first time, nothing really seemed to be out of place. Only half the cabinet doors were open. 

After allowing herself a sigh, Clarke turned back too look along the floor near the bedroom door. She quickly spotted the painting on the floor. It was of a pioneer girl and it was painted on a crosscut of wood. Like someone had made a disc out of a log, and then decided to paint on it. Turning it over in her hands, Clarke saw the wire used to secure the painting to a screw or something in the wall was intact. With narrowed eyes she looked up at the wall, searching for a hole where a nail might have fallen out.

Instead, she saw a rather large screw sticking out of one of the logs that made up the wall.

As she chewed on her lip, she replaced the painting. She gave it a tug or two, wanting to make sure it was secure on its wire. Once she was satisfied, she moved to the kitchen and closed the cabinets again.

By the time she returned to the bedroom, Lexa had pulled on a tank top and some of Clarke’s boxers.

“What was it?” Lexa asked.

For a solid ten seconds, Clarke considered lying to her. Telling her that nothing was wrong, a book had fallen. Something like that. Instead, she took a deep breath. 

“I can’t be sure,” Clarke said with a shrug. She glanced back at the door she’d closed and locked behind her. When she turned back to her girlfriend, she lifted a hand to scratch the back of her neck. “I mean… Honestly, Lex. The only thing that makes sense, doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t know what that means!” Lexa replied, shifting so she was on her knees on the bed. She shuffled toward Clarke, reaching to wrap her arms around her waist. “What hit the wall?”

Taking a deep breath, Clarke allowed her arms to encircle Lexa gently. She shook her head. “That’s just it. It wasn’t the wall. Something hit the floor. But I don’t know how! It had to have fallen but I don’t see how. And the cabinets, Lex, the cabinets keep opening on their own!”

“So what? There’s a ghost in the cabin?” Lexa said with a chuckle barely hidden in her voice. When Clarke didn’t respond, Lexa tipped her head back. “Seriously?”

“What else could it be?” Clarke questioned.

Lexa only laughed. “Alright, Clarke. Sure. It’s a ghost.”

“I’m serious!”

“Let’s just get back to sleep so we can head back to the city in the morning,” Lexa said, turning to climb back under the blankets. She lifted the corner for Clarke. “I’m still tired and you promised me brekkie in the morning!”

****

The next time Clarke woke up it was close to dawn. She could see the beginnings of the sun shining through cracks in the curtains. Glancing around, Clarke tried to figure out what had awoken her.

It was Lexa.

A terrified Lexa was standing over her, a hand still gripping Clarke’s shoulder tightly.

“What’s wrong?” Clarke asked, immediately fully alert as she sat up in the bed.

Lexa gestured behind her with a wave of her free hand. “The cabinets! What the actual fuck? Did you get up just to mess with me?”

“Of course not!”

“The cabinets were all open! And the fridge too!” Lexa explained as she stepped back, making room for Clarke to get up. “The curtains over the sink were half way torn down too!”

Clarke was shaking her head, reaching for her clothes. She glanced at Lexa, noticing she was in her underwear and tank top. Handing Lexa the overnight bag they’d pack, Clarke said, “Get dressed. I’m not staying here another second, Lex. We can figure something out when we get back to the city.”

Just as Lexa pulled out a pair of leggings and a big loose shirt, one of Clarke’s t-shirts, there was a bumping sound in the living room. Voices filled the cabin. 

“What is that?”

They both paused in their actions. Lexa had one leg in the air, trying to pull the leggings on while Clarke was frozen in the action of pulling a t-shirt on.

“What the fuck is that?” Clarke hissed. She finished pulling on her shirt and tucked the front into her jeans. Sitting on the bed, she pulled on her socks and shoes.

Even through her terror, and her awkward frozen position, Lexa couldn’t help but to allow her eyes to follow Clarke’s movements, watching Clarke’s tattoos dance with every action.

“Get dressed!” Clarke urged her, snapping her out of her movement of admiration for the art of her girlfriend’s body.

It took a few minutes for Lexa to finish getting ready, her hair really needed the brush she knew was sitting in the toiletry bag on the counter in the bathroom. She fought through the knots and tangles as she braided it as quickly as possible.

When she watched Clarke pull her undercut hair up into a ponytail, she felt slightly jealous that she could do something so simple and still look that sexy.

Before she realized what was happening, Clarke was handing her the keys to the Jeep.

“What?”

“Just go straight to the car,” Clarke said. She kissed her lightly. “I’ll grab the bag in the loo, leave a note for the owner, and return the key to its place.”

“Clarke.”

Shaking her head. Clarke reassured her, “I’ll be right behind you. I’m fast!”

After another quick kiss, Clarke opened the door and checked the room. The television was on. The cabinets were open. The refrigerator was wide open too.

“Hurry!” 

Clarke stepped out of the room first, then turned back to motion for Lexa to join her. They rushed for the front door, each of them undoing one of the locks. Again, Clarke checked to make sure the coast was clear before allowing Lexa outside.

Then, turning back to the cabin, Clarke pulled in a deep breath. She hurriedly turned off the television and closed all the cabinets and the fridge. She slid the key into the hide-a-key she’d place inside the flower box on her way out the door.

Without looking back, Clarke started toward the front door. 

Just as she fingers closed around the knob, she heard a noise. One she’d never heard before. She froze in place, her head whipped around to stare into the cabin.

“Clarke?” Lexa called from the Jeep. She’d opened the door and stood on the running board. “Come on!”

Narrowing her eyes, Clarke shook her head. “Come here!”

“What?”

“Lex,” Clarke called out over her shoulder. “Come here!”

After a long second of staring at her girlfriend’s back, Lexa finally turned off the Jeep and hurried up onto the porch. 

“What?”

Clarke shushed her quietly. Her eyes were focused on the loft. As she exhaled, she whispered as quietly as possible, “Wait a second.”

After nearly ten seconds had gone by, Lexa heard it too. A trilling type sound.

“Is that what I think it is?” Lexa asked.

Clarke turned to stare at her with wide eyes. “I have no idea what you think it is, love.”

A few seconds later, another round of trilling sounded through the cabin. And then,much to Lexa’s enjoyment, a small raccoon popped its head out over the ladder.

“It’s a baby!” Lexa gasped, her hands clasped over her mouth.

Clarke sagged against the door, both annoyed and relieved. “Yeah, well, where there’s one there’s probably more.”

“It’s so cute!” Lexa’s voice was muffled by her hands.

“Sure it is,” Clarke muttered as she gently eased Lexa away from the door. “That little baby had me awake half the night worried we were about to be possessed. Let’s go!”


	5. Day 5: Creatures of the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke's best friends drag her out on a bar crawl for Halloween. Of course, there's more to their plan that a simple night of booze and dancing... but they don't have to tell Clarke that do they?

Nothing could have stopped the sigh that escaped Clarke’s lips as she stood staring in the full length mirror in her bedroom. Not a single thing.

She’d had her face buried in her textbooks, studying for an exam she didn’t really have coming up. Still, professors were known to throw out pop quizzes from time to time. She needed to be prepared.

Or so she told her roommates.

Not that they believed her.

October was usually a rough month for Clarke. As a child, she’d help her dad get the house completely decked out with decorations. The older she grew, the more elaborate their designs got. Her father would put his mechanical engineering degree to good use, along with the wood and metal shop he had in the backyard. Clarke learned to sew by the time she was eight just to be able to help with the decorations.

And yeah, sure, they decorated for Christmas too but her mother always put limits on them for that holiday. It just wasn’t the same thing.

Then came the Halloween just after Clarke’s seventeenth birthday. Jake Griffin had been called by his best friend, Thelonious Jaha. He’d asked Jake to go and pick up his son, Wells, since he’d come home from his private school a few days early. Jaha was out of town and he didn’t want Wells to get any wild ideas about parties.

Without hesitation, Jake agreed. He asked Clarke if she wanted to come along so they could do a little trick or treating in the super wealthy area the Jahas lived in. Clarke had turned him down. She wouldn’t have time to get her make-up on if she went and she was gunning for the top prize in the neighborhood’s costume contest. That five hundred dollars would help her car fund immensely!

With a quick hug and kiss pressed to the top of Clarke’s head, Jake walked out of the house, whistling to himself as he tossed his keys into the air. Clarke watched the truck back out of the driveway before she turned back to her phone, watching one last tutorial before she started work on what she hoped would be the masterpiece of the season.

Jake Griffin never made it home that night.

Both he and Wells had been killed when his truck had been t-boned by a drunk driver in a Hummer.

Blinking rapidly, Clarke pulled herself out of her memories. She sniffled and shook her head. Raven and Octavia had been with her back then too. They’d spent so many nights cuddled up with Clarke in her room that Abby, Clarke’s mom, had bought her a bigger bed just so they’d have more room. If anyone understood what was going through Clarke’s head, it would be the two of them.

“You’re not even dressed yet!” Raven groaned as she stepped into Clarke’s bedroom.

“I am!” Clarke defended. She pointed at the small bit of embroidery on the front of her hoodie. “I’m a camp counselor!”

Octavia was just a few steps behind Raven. She was shaking her head before she even entered the room. “No. That’s lame.”

“Come on, O!” Clarke whined. She waved a hand at her closet. “It’s not like I have a bunch of options here! You guys sort of sprung this on my last minute!”

“We told you about this party three weeks ago,” Raven countered flatly.

Stepping around Raven, Octavia held up scrubs and a white coat. “Your mother sent these. She said she can’t wait to see the damage you do to them.”

“I’m not going as a doctor.” Clarke crossed her arms over her chest.

“Then get some paint and scissors and go as a zombie doctor,” Raven replied. She motioned toward Clarke’s seemingly endless supply of all things art related. “Go as a veterinarian. Go as… I don’t fucking know. Anything!”

Clarke opened her mouth to argue. But then Octavia stepped closer, thrusting the clothing her way. “Figure something out or I will text Bellamy right now and tell him you changed your mind.”

“You wouldn’t!” Clarke gasped.

“I would, for sure, tell my desperate half-brother that you’ve decided he’s not some greasy creeper. That you want to go on a date.” Octavia crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip as she arched a brow. “Tonight.”

With narrowed eyes, Clarke snatched the scrubs and coat out of her hands. “You guys know I hate Halloween.”

“No. You love Halloween,” Raven corrected gently. She leaned around Octavia to meet Clarke’s eyes. “You do know that we know you’ve watched  _ Hocus Pocus _ twice a day since the first, right? And that you totally watched all the Halloweentowns, without us, this weekend?”

“We know you miss Jake, Clarke. We do,” Octavia said as softly as she could. “But he loved Halloween and all the stuff you guys would get to do together. Don’t ruin it for yourself. He’d hate that.”

****

It wasn’t really a surprise to Clarke that Raven and Octavia had finally convinced her to go out on Halloween. It was her last Halloween before she graduated, before adulthood. They were very vocal in their desire to make this year the best one any of them had experienced so far.

What they hadn’t told Clarke was that they were going on a bar crawl. A zombie bar crawl. Every single person was dressed up as a zombie.

Seeing the enthusiasm and work some of those people put into their costumes made Clarke a little sad. Jake would have loved to see those costumes.

Glancing down, Clarke smiled at her own handiwork. Even though she’d only had an hour or so to prep her costume, she happily discovered some skills barely grow rusty when they weren’t used. She was able to rip and tear and shred her coat with some handy tools she’d created with her dad ages ago. There was fake blood, a bit of fake muscle showing in the crook of her neck, make-up that made her look believably dead without looking like an actual corpse.

If there was a costume contest attached to the bar crawl, she felt sure she could place easily.

By the time they made it to the second bar, Clarke was feeling better. She was dancing with Raven and Octavia, laughing loudly and sipping on her vibrant sunrise.

As she slurped the last of her drink, she motioned she was heading to the bar, smiling when her friends pointed to their own nearly empty glasses and gave her thumbs up. She turned to head to the bar and froze.

Just as she’d turned, she’d spotted the collar and sleeve of a bomber jacket.

Exactly like the one her dad had always worn.

After a second or two, she shook her head and took a deep breath. She was sure it was just the lights and the booze playing with her eyes. She took the last few steps to the bar, smiling up at the bartender as she ordered about round for the three of them.

****

By the time they reached the fourth bar, Clarke had forgotten about the bomber jacket. She’d been dancing with Raven for most of the night since Octavia had found a guy to partner up with. Someone she said she knew from one of her military history classes or something.

If the way they were dancing was any indicator, Clarke had no doubt they were going to be getting to know each other much better before the night was over.

Turning in a full circle, Clarke searched the crowd for Raven. She was supposed to have gone to the bar to get another round of drinks. She’d been gone nearly twenty minutes.

Finally, on Clarke’s third rotation, she spotted Raven. She was leaning back against the wall, her fingers toying with the hem of the shirt worn by a fierce looking zombie woman.

Not everyone could pull off the zombie look and still be considered sexy.

The woman Raven was currently batting her eyelashes at?

Clarke was sure she could be covered in mud and still look drop dead sexy.

With a sigh, Clarke realized she was one her own. At least until they started the walk to the next bar. So she turned toward the bar, intent on getting at least one last shot in before she went to wait by the door so she wouldn’t miss her friends on their way out of the bar.

And then she saw it again, the collar and jacket of a bomber jacket.

This time she was angry at the sight. It was like a phantom bit of worry and grief was haunting her night.

****

The sixth and last bar wasn’t as packed as the first handful had been. It was like most people had paired up and left the crawl as it progressed. Still, there were enough people that Clarke had to turn to her side to maneuver her way through the crowd.

She was following Raven and Octavia and their new friends. Raven had a tight grip on her hand, pulling her through the small gaps in the crowd as they made their way to the back of the bar.

Once they broke through the bumping and grinding crowd on the dance floor, Clarke sighed blissfully when she saw the booths lining the back walls.

“What can I get everyone to drink?” Lincoln, Octavia’s new friend, clapped his hands together before rubbing them quickly. He pointed to the woman who had her arm slung around Raven’s shoulders. “Anya, I know you’ll want a pint of Guinness.” She opened her mouth, like she was going to say something, and Lincoln rolled his eyes. “I will make sure they pour it right. Don’t worry. Raven? O? And… I’m pretty sure you’re the famous Clarke that O and Raven have told us so much about?”

Cocking her head, Clarke turned to study her best friends. Both were blushing, even if it was hard to see since Raven had smacked her hand to her face.

“Lincoln!” Anya snapped.

“I’m sorry!” Lincoln raised his hands in surrender. “I’m just going to go and get drinks. Clarke, you look like you’d like a Tennessee tea!”

And then he was gone. Clarke watched him disappear into the crowd before she turned back the women in the booth.

“Explain.” She ordered, her eyes narrowed and focused on Raven.

Without hesitation, Raven launched into some long winded explanation. Clarke could barely make a word of it out. So she turned to Octavia and raised a brow.

“I’ve been dating Lincoln since the beginning of the year. Raven met his cousin, Anya, a couple weeks after that and they’ve been seeing each other.” Octavia said succinctly.

“Why the costume party thing?” Clarke asked.

Suddenly a drink appeared in front of her, another vibrant sunrise. And then a voice spoke, one Clarke hadn’t heard before. “Because my cousin and my sister are idiots who cannot take no for an answer. I’m sorry if they’ve made you uncomfortable.”

Turning, Clarke barely bit back her gasp when she saw an absolutely gorgeous woman before her. A woman wearing a bomber jacket.

“It was you!” She pointed at the woman’s chest.

“Pardon?” The woman replied, tilting her head to the side. “What was me?”

Clarke continued pointing at her jacket. She lifted her eyes until she met the greenest eyes she’d ever seen. “The… uh… the jacket. The bomber jacket.”

“Oh,” The woman smiled and slid into the seat next to Clarke. “It was our grandfather’s during World War II. He was a navigator on a bomber.” She smiled and offered her hand. “I’m Lexa, by the way.”

“My dad used to wear his dad’s bomber,” Clarke offered as an explanation. She took the offered hand and smiled as best she could.

As if she knew the subject of Clarke’s dad was off limits, Lexa didn’t press for more of an explanation from Clarke about her reaction. Instead, she smiled and settled back into the seat.

“They’ve been trying to hook us up for months,” Lexa said as she pointed at the women across from them. She glanced at Clarke and winked. “I told them we could just do a game night or something but they insisted that you love Halloween as much as I do so you’d love meeting like this.”

“A meet cute?” Clarke said, chewing on the inside of her cheek. Then she turned to Raven. “Really?”

Lexa not so subtly slid her arm across the back of the booth, her hand coming to rest inches from Clarke’s shoulder. “They even told me to wear the bomber.”

Without realizing it, Clarke allowed herself to sink back into the booth a little more, to settle a little closer to Lexa. “We are going to have a very serious talk tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Raven perked up at that.

Clarke glanced Lexa’s way, blushing when she found green eyes focused on her. Then she nodded. “Yeah, tomorrow.”

****

The walk back to Lexa’s place was the shortest. She offered up her place to finish the night, since she had a fully stocked cabinet of booze. Not to mention the proximity to Lincoln and Anya’s apartments too. So, just after one in the morning, the group of six trudged down four blocks in the crisp autumn air.

Lexa and Clarke were at the back of the group. When she saw Clarke shiver against the slight bit in the air, Lexa shrugged out of the bomber jacket and placed it over Clarke’s shoulders with a smile.

“What if you get cold?” Clarke asked, reaching up to hold the collar closed.

Lexa gently pulled her to a stop, taking a moment to zip the jacket up. She smiled down at Clarke and shrugged. “We’re only a block or so from home now. I’ll be okay.”

When they started walking again, Lexa tucked her hands into her pockets. After a second of hesitation, Clarke carefully reached out and looped her arm through Lexa’s, pulling her closer.

They fell into step without difficulty.

“So,” Lexa said slowly. She looked Clarke’s way as they walked. “Raven and Octavia told me about your dad when you were in the bathroom. I can’t believe they encouraged me to wear the bomber! I hope it didn’t freak you out too badly.”

“Actually,” Clarke said slowly, she smiled over at her companion, “I think it’s kind of a great start to our story. Whatever it ends up being.”

****

As it turned out, Abby had already sent Clarke Jake’s old bomber. Lexa’s grandfather had been the pilot who flew the plane Clarke’s grandfather navigated. Gus Woods, Lexa’s grandfather even had pictures of Arthur Griffin his granddaughter had never seen.

The more they got to know each other, the more they fit together.

So their story ended up being one that was passed down through the generations. And those bombers were passed down right along with it.


	6. Day 6: Trick or Treat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke's had a bit of a mishap on a mission but she'd determined to power through and make it to her first trick or treating experience with Lexa and Xander.
> 
> LoYL AU one-shot!!

Most days, Clarke really loved her job. As a detective, she solved crime that tore families apart. Sometimes she even worked on finding a missing kid. Those days were her favorite. The days where she can find a missing piece and make a family whole again, she loved those days.

Her work as the head of the Polis PD’s Search and Rescue was just as important. Sure, those stories took tragic turns more often than she’d like. Still, she wasn’t ready to give that up yet. She had more helicopters to jump out of before she could even consider giving it up!

But when her work took her away from her family, she hated that. Seeing Xander’s shoulders drop when her phone rang, knowing it meant Clarke had to head to a crime scene or the precinct, she hated it. She knew the little girl was proud of the work she did, but she knew Xander struggled with sharing Kork with others.

It wasn’t often that Clarke pushed her team to the breaking point on missions but that Halloween, she did just that. She’d been able to talk to Lexa and Xander briefly the night before. Lexa made her promise to just be safe, a promise Clarke was ready and willing to make. But then Xander had taken the phone from her mother and told Clarke it was okay if she had to miss Halloween to save someone. She would understand.

And dammit, Clarke didn’t want the six-year-old to have to understand.

She never spoke the words out loud but she’d made a promise to Xander that she’d try her hardest to get home in time to get dressed up and take her trick or treating.

The mission and debriefing really hadn’t been too bad. Maybe that was because Clarke had been given an excuse to leave early though. Needing an x-ray or two was a good way to get out of the boring bits of the job.

Nursing her side, Clarke slowly made her way up the front walk to Lexa’s house. She hadn’t officially moved in or anything but since most of her stuff was there, she might as well have. It was only a matter of time before it was official anyway.

Reaching for the doorknob, she whimpered when she found it locked. Her keys were in her pocket, reaching for them meant moving muscles that had been strained and possibly jostling bones that were bruised. Biting her lip, she breathed heavily through her nose as she dug into her pocket for the keys.

She had to take a few seconds, blinking back tears the whole time, before she slid the key into the lock.

Once inside, she slowly made her way to Badas’ kennel, letting the puppy into the backyard for a little while. She pulled a Gatorade from the fridge, taking a long drink from it before she reached in for the lunch meats. A quick sandwich before an even quicker shower seemed in order.

Badas was ready to join her inside just as she finished her drink and sandwich. He ran to the door, skidding to a stop just before he bashed into the glass, and sat down. Clarke slid the door open, greeting the puppy with scratches to his ears.

“Come on,” She said as she turned toward the living room.

Normally she and Lexa didn’t let him up on their bed. There were times when exceptions were made though, including Clarke feeling like she’d gone white water rafting without the raft.

Badas jumped onto the bed and settled at the foot, lazing onto his side with a grumbled sort of sigh.

“I feel you, buddy,” Clarke muttered as she shuffled by. She grabbed the first set of comfy clothes she spotted in the closet, knowing full well the shirt was Lexa’s and she was only going to stretch it out. She smirked at that. Lexa had a thing for her stretching out her shirts.

The shower wasn’t as quick as Clarke had planned. The hot water spraying at her from the side jets and falling onto her head from the rainfall head... well, it seemed like just what the doctor would have ordered had the doctor known she had access to such wonderfulness.

Soon enough though, Clarke turned off the water and prepared for her first sleep in a real bed in over a week. The cot in her tent had not been the most comfortable. She toweled herself off, pulling her hair up into a messy bun, and pulled on the clothes.

As soon as she exited the bathroom she was snorting out a laugh. Badas was doing his best impression of a starfish. The puppy had grown a great deal in the months since she and Xander had found him in the forest. Clarke knew he still had more goring left to do and he was already huge.

“Better make room for me,” Clarke said as she lifted the blankets. When the puppy only groaned and huffed at her, she slid her knee up onto the bed and shot a glare his way. “Badas, I will fight you. You do not scare me.”

More grumbled huffs came her way, but at least this time the puppy sat up, allowing Clarke to get her legs into the bed. He watched her, and though she may have imagined in her sleep-deprived mind, Clarke was pretty sure he narrowed his eyes at her.

Clarke waved off his grumbling, already half asleep. “I fell down a fucking mountain, Badas. Leave me alone!”

****

The next thing Clarke knew, she was being gently shaken awake. She opened the eye not buried in the plush pillow, immediately smiling sleepily when she spotted Lexa leaning over her.

“Hey, you,” Clarke whispered, her voice scratchy and huskier than usual. She lifted her arm and scooted back a bit on the bed, eager to feel Lexa pressed against her. “I missed you.”

Lexa obliged without needing to be asked. She slid right into the bed, smiling when Clarke’s arm dropped over her, her hand rubbing at her back. She leaned in, eager for a kiss. It always seemed like she was never convinced Clarke was actually home unless she was given a kiss.

Even three-quarters of the way asleep, Clarke responded to the kiss right away.

“Love you,” Clarke whispered, her hand pulling at Lexa’s back, urging her closer until their legs were tangled and Lexa’s arm was draped over Clarke’s side too.

That was when Lexa noticed the grimace on Clarke’s face when she touched her. And then she spotted the small cuts on her face and neck. She leaned in and kissed each one she could see.

“So… you fell down a mountain?” she asked.

“I was  _ pushed  _ down a mountain,” Clarke corrected, not even bothering to open her eyes. Her hand squeezed Lexa’s hip. “I’m fine, love.”

Arching a brow and pushing herself up onto her elbow, Lexa reached for the hem of Clarke’s shirt. She eased it up. When she spotted the purple and black bruises, she bit her lips. As carefully as she could, she leaned down and pressed soft kisses over the injuries.

“What happened?” She asked as she settled again.

“Fucking Finn,” Clarke bit out. She opened an eye then and pouted. “He’s such a little bitch. Bats he can handle with no issue. The bugs in caves? No big deal to him. But a bumblebee? A goddamn bee buzzing around his head and he turns into the biggest wimp on the East coast.”

Lexa bit back a smile. She nodded and waited for more ranting. It didn’t come though.

“He ran from a bee?”

“He fucking  _ shrieked _ and ran like he was being chased by killer bees!” Clarke replied. She rolled to her back as carefully as she could. “And did it matter that I was in his way on the path? Do you think that mattered?”

Lexa shook her head and leaned her head on her hand. “No, I don’t suppose it did.”

“It’s been months since I got hurt on a mission. And this time, it wasn’t even the mission!”

“I know, love.”

Clarke groaned and turned her head so she could meet Lexa’s eye. “I could kill him.”

“You’ll have to get in line behind Raven, Octavia, Anya, Lincoln, Kane, your mother, me and Xander.”

“You’re pretty far down that list,” Clarke cocked a brow.

Lexa shrugged. “The others know where he lives. I haven’t been given that information yet.”

Laughing quietly, Clarke clutched at her ribs when they pulled a little. “I did try to not get hurt though. I want that noted!”

“You’re okay? Other than scrapes and bruises?”

“A couple of bruised ribs and strained muscles,” Clarke informed her with a whine. “I’m on desk duty for, like, a month now. I’m going to make Finn clean and sanitize every single piece of equipment in our inventory. Twice! And then I’ll have him disassemble all of our weapons and clean them too.”

“Clarke.”

Shaking her head, Clarke stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend. “Then, when I’m done with him, I’ll send him to the precinct so Kane can use him too.”

“You don’t have to go tonight, you know that right?” Lexa said softly, reaching to cup Clarke’s face. Her thumb moved back and forth along her cheek. “Xander will understand.”

“I don’t want Xander to have to understand.” Clarke replied quickly. “What time is it?”

“About half four.”

Nodding, Clarke pulled herself into a sitting position, leaning back against the headboard. “Okay. So I have an hour and half to get ready.”

“Clarke, my love,” Lexa breathed and shook her head. “You can stay here.”

“I’ll take some of the pills the doc gave me, spray on some lidocaine stuff and I’ll be good to go.”

Lexa chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment. Then she sighed. “What are the chances I’ll be able to talk you out of this?”

“Slim to none,” Clarke replied. She puckered her lips. “Now give me a kiss and help me out of bed. We’ve got costumes to put on!”

****

Trick or Treating started at six o’clock sharp. Clarke had managed to finish getting ready ten minutes before the family of three piled into Lexa’s SUV. They drove to the big houses first, Clarke eagerly sharing all the best spots to get the big candy bars with a giddy Xander in the back seat.

She wasn’t wrong about a single house. Xander’s candy haul was massive.

Soon, they ended up at Abby and Kane’s house, the agreed upon meeting place for their friends and family for the night. Abby hosted a costume party every year, offering a gift certificate to a spa to the winner of the costume party. Making their way around to the back yard, Xander took off at a sprint when she spotted Declan and Mags on the impromptu dance floor Kane had set up.

Clarke found herself pulled into the house and up to her old bedroom.

“Are you planning on having your way with me?” She husked as Lexa pushed her inside.

“Yeah, right,” Lexa replied with a laugh. She pulled Clarke’s pills out of the little purse that was part of her costume. “It’s time for you to take some more pills. And,” She pulled out the lidocaine spray, “To reapply this.”

Fifteen minutes later, and only after Lexa agreed to a quick teenage-style make-out, they rejoined the party. This time, Raven and Anya, Lincoln and Octavia, and the rest of their friends were there. As soon as Raven spotted them, she threw her head back and laughed loudly.

“No way!” She breathed before she started laughing again at the sight of them. “No fucking way!”

“Swear jar!” Xander and Declan shouted at the same time, holding out their hands as they raced toward her.

The sight of Xander in her costume was Raven’s undoing. “This is the greatest day of my life. Where’s Abby? Clexander wins this year. Hands down. No way there are better costumes here.”

Lexa looped her arm around Clarke carefully before pressing a smiling kiss to her cheek. She motioned for Xander to join them, each of them placing a hand on her shoulder.

The picture Octavia snapped of them became one of their favorites.

“What?” Clarke asked as she arched a brow. She grinned at her family. “Haven’t you ever seen a goomba just chilling with Princess Peach and Princess Daisy?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you've enjoyed!!
> 
> As always, feel free to drop me a line (or a prompt) here or on [Tumblr](https://imaginaryhistorianme.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I welcome any questions or comments or HCs or whatever! Let's be friends!


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